Despite the challenges 2021 has thrown at us, the Creek’s theatre Troupe 1730 was able to assemble and perform Puffs, a parody of Harry Potter told from the Hufflepuff’s perspective. And similar to many other school events, the production that went into the play is a lot different compared to previous years.

The crew worked on Puffs from August through early November, which was when they worked on scenic design and built props, most of which was done by the students.

“After the set has been built, costumes have been made, sound and lighting have finished their work, and painting has been done, we start rehearsals,” junior Jo Ridgeway said. “It’s a long production process, but it’s so rewarding.”

Much like the actors, the people in crew had to practice and put lots of time into making everything flow seamlessly.

Previous productions, such as Harvey, Mary Poppins, and Silent Sky, didn’t require as much work as Puffs did. In total, there were 500 cues and many set pieces that had to be set up and flown, which is a lot more work to put in compared to what has been done before.

“In past productions, we have dropped things from the sky, but never this many in one show,” Ridgeway said. “Dropping seven things was a huge risk, but it definitely paid off.”

She was on the fly crew, which was responsible for moving set pieces around, such as the puppet show in Puffs. They aren’t always seen by the audience, though the crew believes their jobs are just as important as the actors.

Not many people are aware of the amount of work that gets put into the theatre productions, as most of the audience’s focus is on the actors, not the tech and design. Fly crew and props crew worked tirelessly to make the play seamless, and though the production would’ve been impossible without them, it seems as though their work goes unappreciated.

“While I still do love and appreciate actors, the show couldn’t be possible without tech,” Ridgeway said.
Sophomore Erika Scala, who worked on props crew, agrees.

“I think people don’t see how much effort and time goes into the production,” Scala said. “People spend hours doing seemingly minor things that the show would not work without.”

However, both Ridgeway and Scala believe that their hard work and time was worth it as they watched three months’ worth of designing, building, and practicing come to life.

“I love seeing my work on stage in front of people who are having a good time,” Ridgeway said.

After all, they believe the audience’s reaction is what makes the effort so rewarding.

“I think one of the best parts is hearing how much the audience enjoys all the work we put into the production,” Scala said.

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